The Cheraman Juma mosque in Kodungallur , Kerala is th oldest mosque in Indian subcontinent. It is one of the oldest mosques still in use. The original construction was based on Kerala architecture.

History

1. This mosque is supposed to be built on 629 CE
2. Mallik Dinar , a Persian built this mosque as per Cheraman Perumal’s wish
3. Cheraman Perumal was a king from Kerala went to Mecca and converted to Islam at the feet of Prophet Mohammed
4. The mosque was destroyed by Portuguese in 1504 CE
5. Later in 1984 CE modern corridors and halls were added

About Cheraman mosque

1. It faced east till 1000 CE like Hindu temples
2. A lamp  kept here is  supposed to be burning for 1000 years
3. Pilgrims from even other religions bring oil for this lamp
4. Vidyarambham on Vijayadasami is done here by the Imam
5. There is museum of islamic history in the complex

Website of mosque http://www.cheramanmosque.com/

Entry time

1. The official opening hours   for the museum 10am to 5pm
2.  Mosque will be open for prayers from 5 am onwards

How to reach

Air

Cochin International airport 28 kms away is the nearest airport.It is connected to International destinations like :

1. Dubai
2. Kuala Lumpur
3. Singapore
4. Sharjah
5. Colombo etc

It is also connected to domestic destinations in India like :

1. New Delhi
2. Mumbai
3. Bangalore
4. Chennai etc

Train

Aluva railway station 26 kms away is the nearest major railway station. It has trains to Indian cities like:

1. New Delhi
2. Mumbai
3. Bangalore
4. Chennai
5. Hyderabad etc

Nearby historic locations within 100 kms

1. Muziris fort in Kodungallur – Its a Portuguese fort built on 1523 CE
2. Shakthan Thampuran Palace at Thrissur-this palace was built on 1795 CE in Kerala-Dutch style
3. Our Lady of dolours basilica at Thrissur- Indo-gothic style church built in 1814 CE
4. St Thomas church at Kodungallur- First church in India built by St.Thomas the apostle in 52CE
5. Dutch palace in Fort Kochi – This palace was actually built around 1545 by Portuguese .

Some of the hotels near Cheraman mosque with room tariff less than Rs.5000/- per night

Sapphire Club Cherai Beach Villa https://www.sapphire.club/

Cherai Natural Beach http://cherainaturalbeach.com/

Le Petit Elephant-Cherai Beach Resort Kochi http://petitelephant.in/

Kadalkkara Lake Resorts http://www.kadalkkaralakeresorts.com/

Fishermans Nest http://fishermansnestcherai.in/

Photo courtesy: By Challiyan (Dr. Vipin Challiyil) – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56606854

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